HOUSTON – Ben Johnson is remaining with the Detroit Lions as their offensive coordinator and has told NFL teams, including the Texans, he is removing himself from their coaching searches, according to league sources.
Johnson, 36, interviewed virtually with the Texans. He was the first interview for the AFC South franchise for their head coaching vacancy. He also interviewed with the Indianapolis Colts and was scheduled to interview with the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday, per a league source.
Recommended Videos
The feeling for Johnson was that he has unfinished business in Detroit, per league sources, and will emerge as a top candidate in next year’s hiring cycle.
Johnson engineered a turnaround of the Lions offense and quarterback Jared Goff as they rank fifth in scoring offense in his first season as offensive coordinator after being promoted from tight ends coach. The former North Carolina walk-on quarterback, a former college teammate of Texans personnel director Ronnie McGill, has previous stints with the Miami Dolphins and Boston College. He worked in Detroit with Texans director of team development Dylan Thompson.
“I think a ton of Ben,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said during a press conference. “I’ve said it before, I just think he’s extremely bright. He’s creative, he’s organized, he’s a great communicator. I mean he’s got it, and I would do anything I can to help him. That’s the bottom line. Of course, I don’t want to lose him, but I’m not going to hold him back either. I would help him any way I can help him.”
“Johnson is impressive, very sharp,” a source said. “He’s done a very nice job with that offense.”
Johnson came to Detroit in 2019, as an offensive quality control coach, and was heavily involved in the passing game. He has worked with Campbell previously with the Dolphins.
“I think Ben’s a rock star, man,” Campbell said. “He’s a young guy, but he’s kind of gone a little longer, harder road to get to where he’s at. He’s been around some really good coaches, now, some guys who have coached some pretty good quarterbacks. He understands quarterback play well.”
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to KPRC 2 and click2houston.com